To film Carnevale (Italian Mardi Gras), we decided to splurge and fly the team to the island of Pantelleria, to show viewers the unique culture of the remote Sicilian island. Pantelleria is actually closer to Tunisia, than it is to mainland Sicily, and the North African and Arabic influence on the cuisine of the island (and the dialect) is strong. The name comes from the original Arabic name for the island, بنتالرياح Bint al-Riyāḥ 'the daughter of the winds.’ Those strong winds, so common to the island, made it quite an adventure to get to Pantelleria from Palermo, as our plane couldn't land on the first try and was canceled on the second. But the third try was the charm and we got there safely, if a day late, on January 31st. Per filmare il Carnevale, abbiamo deciso andare a Pantelleria, un’isola nell’isola . La sua cucina è più vicina alla Tunisia e all'influenza nord africana e araba e anche il dialetto ne risente. Il nome deriva dall’arabo بنتالرياح Bint al-Riyah 'la figlia dei venti.' Quei venti forti, così comuni per l'isola, trasformavano in un’avventura l’attracco . Anche il nostro volo è stato spostato e anche se con un giorno di ritardo, il 31 gennaio, siamo arrivati.

Father Vito, our dear friend and guide, and a native of Pantelleria/ Padre Vito di Pantelleria

Our guide of the island was Father Vito, a Catholic priest who is a dear friend of Costanza, the manager of the cooking school (and Fabrizia's younger cousin). He was born on the island and though he is a professor of theology in Palermo, spends a great deal of time on the island, helping pastor the numerous small churches. The island only has about 8,000 inhabitants (though that number swells in the summer with tourists). Needless to say, Vito knows almost everyone. He planned us a non-stop itinerary of filming for two days and told us before we arrived that the island was whole island was excited we were coming (perhaps a slight exaggeration, if a flattering one).

Though, indeed, the energy of our first filming session at a large lunch gathering showed how advantageous it is to have a local arrange filming. For the lunch, we traveled by car up toward the highest village in Pantelleria to a traditional stone house built in the Pantesco style (referring to the island), with volcanic rock, a sloped roof for catching precious rainwater, and white interiors with wonderful alcoves. When we entered the kitchen, a half dozen women were already hard at work making mustaccioli, which are a holiday cookie unique to Pantelleria and prized at Carnevale.

The tools used to do this are diverse, from scissors to small blades to wooden sticks.

The outer layer of dough is then cut to make patterns.

The tubes of filling and dough are pinched into loops and then painstakingly carved into intricate shapes and designs with a variety of tools--scissors, small blades, and wooden sticks. The women worked in a quick assembly line, with those in the kitchen blending the dough and filling and rolling it, and then passing it along to a team sitting around a kitchen table, who were calmly working on the creative designs. I enjoyed observing the different styles of each woman. The forms are passed down for generations, though sometimes new ones are added by entrepreneurial family members. Adding colorful sprinkles to the top must be a modern addition, but gives the cookies added sparkle. Le donne lavoravano come una catena di montaggio mescolando la pasta e il ripieno, rotolando l’impasto per poi passarlo alla squadra seduta attorno al tavolo da cucina, che stava tranquillamente lavorando sul “progetto creativo” di questo dolce. Interessante osservare i diversi stili di ogni donna. Le forme vengono tramandate da generazioni . Un po’ di colore è una deriva moderna.

One of the most dynamic part of the preparation happened in the room next to the kitchen, where a long table was laid out for fresh pasta and ravioli preparation. For this Carnevale meal, the ravioli on the menu was one filled with local cow's milk ricotta and fresh mint. (Most of mainland Sicily makes sheep's milk cheeses, but Pantelleria prefers raising cows. Father Vito told us, grinning, that he knows of only two sheep on the whole of the island). The dough was made by an older man, who mixed it without a bowl on the wooden table, kneading the giant mountain of flour, eggs, oil, and water. Then, another man ran the dough through the pasta press, while several women cut the ravioli and filled it with herbed ricotta. Then, using the same dough, the process shifted to creating tagliatelle, or long fresh pasta, which is cut and dusted with semolina flour. La parte più dinamica della preparazione è accaduta nella stanza accanto alla cucina, dove è stata posta una lunga tavola per la pasta fresca e i ravioli. Per Carnevale, i ravioli vengono riempiti con ricotta di vaccina e menta fresca. In Sicilia solitamente si usa la ricotta di pecora ( Padre Vito ci ha raccontato, sorridendo, che conosce solo due pecore su tutta l'isola). La pasta è stata fatta da un uomo più anziano, che ha impastato una montagna gigantesca di farina, uova, olio e acqua. Poi, un altro uomo distendeva l'impasto attraverso, mentre diverse donne tagliavano i ravioli e aggiungevano il ripieno. Quindi, utilizzando la stessa pasta, sono state realizzate anche le tagliatelle, una lunga pasta fresca, spolverata con farina di semola.

Dough is made, kneaded, and pressed for ravioli and fresh pasta

Local ricotta, made on the island, is mixed with mint from the garden for the ravioli

Teamwork in pasta preparation

The fresh tagliatelle is dusted with semolina flour

Piping hot ravioli

At the same time, in the kitchen, another group made squid stuffed with herbed couscous and prepared a plate of fresh tuma, a creamy, cow's milk farmer's cheese. In a second, smaller kitchen, a woman made a pork stew with chickpeas, peppers, and wild fennel. As we filmed, the small house grew more and more crowded until it was at full capacity with 20 people, all of whom were taking part in lunch preparation in some way. Giacomo and I bounced around in the crowded rooms with the Canon 5d and 7d cameras, the tripods, and backpack of lenses, trying to multitask and catch every step of every dish. By the time food was served, I was both ravenous and exhausted, torn between the need to eat and the need to take a nap. Nel frattempo, in cucina, un altro gruppo cucinava i calamari ripieni con erbe e cous cous e preparava un piatto di tuma fresca (un cremoso formaggio di latte di mucca). In una seconda, piccola cucina, una donna ha cucinato uno spezzatino di maiale con ceci, peperoni e finocchietto selvatico. Ben presto la piccola casa ha accolto quasi venti persone. Giacomo ed io andavamo in giro per le stanze affollate con la 5D e la 7D Canon, le telecamere, i treppiedi, cercando di fare più cose contemporaneamente e di cogliere ogni processo di ogni piatto. Ero affamata ed esausta, combattuta tra il bisogno di mangiare e la necessità di fare un pisolino.

The squid is stuffed with spiced couscous

Tuma, a fresh cow's milk cheese

Tasting the simmering pork soup

Fresh pork stew made with chickpeas and wild fennel

After lunch, the yearning for a quiet break won out, and I slipped away to the garden, looking out upon the captivating landscapes of the island, with its black rocks and sage green vegetation. Pantelleria reminds me of a Mediterranean version of Tolkien's shire, with its friendly, grounded residents and quaint, agrarian communities. The houses are tucked into the hills, as if they are an organic expression of the land itself. Two of the men gave us a full orientation of the island through pointing in various directions and describing the characters of the different villages. Dopo il pranzo, sconfitto il desiderio di una pausa, ho fatto una passeggiata in giardino: i paesaggi sono molto affascinanti, con le sue rocce nere e la salvia verde della vegetazione Pantelleria mi ricorda una versione mediterranea di Shire di Tolkien, con i suoi abitanti amichevoli e le comunità agrarie pittoresche. Le case sono nascosto tra le colline, come se fossero l'espressione organica della terra stessa.

After lunch, an orientation of the island given to us by the locals

I (Lena) take a moment of digestive rest in their garden

Giacomo, Fabrizia, and Fabrizia's cousin chat after a busy morning of filming and eating

The generosity of this group of Panteschi was enormous. They welcomed us into their lives for the afternoon and shared their Carnevale traditions with us enthusiastically. We are very grateful to them, and all the people in Pantelleria who helped make this filming session one of our best. La generosità di questo gruppo di Panteschi è stata enorme. Ci hanno accolto nelle loro vite e hanno condiviso con noi le loro tradizioni di Carnevale. Hanno contribuito a rendere questa sessione di riprese una delle nostre esperienze migliori. Gli siamo molto riconoscenti.

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ABOUT US

This film project is produced by the Anna Tasca Lanza Cooking School in the heart of Sicily. We hope to chronicle the many saint festivals in Sicily and how they support slow food cultures on the island. We anticipate that it will hit film festivals and be available for sale in 2015. This website and blog are to chronicle our progress for our financial supporters, followers, and friends.